Nestled in a corner on the 29th Street Mall sits Wonder Wonder — Boulder’s newest immersive art experience and self-titled “Selfie Museum.” There’s a good chance you’ve probably seen this museum tagged all over Instagram lately. Attracting everyone from professional and casual photographers to local art enthusiasts, Wonder Wonder hopes to expand its installations and programming in the coming months with their new permanent residence in Boulder.
The inception of Wonder Wonder began with a group of founders who started a company called Made in KC, based in Kansas City. “They saw the need for really wonderful artists who were struggling to get into retail spaces,” explained Sophie DeWitt, general manager of the Boulder location of Wonder Wonder. “Made in KC provided the relationships and, eventually, a series of successful storefronts, through which they could support a number of diverse local artists. They wanted to work a bit more directly in the art and experiential entertainment space so they translated their work with design, art and retail into Wonder Wonder.”
With the first location hosted in Kansas City and the second location now in Boulder, Wonder Wonder joins the wave of immersive art installations popping up all over the country. The museum currently features works from many beloved, Colorado-based artists including Jason Graves, Markus Puskar, Artsy Emii and Shelby Murray. Upon entering the building, visitors will first be brought into a small retail store featuring items from Noble Lion Art, Zany Art, Brittany Free Art, Meredith Steele Art, Megan Falley, Ampersand Studios, ColorBloKC, Artsy Emii, Kaitlin Ziesmer Art and Jason Graves.
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Passing through the curtained door leading into the playspace, visitors are exposed to beautiful rooms featuring light displays and contraptions, warped mirrors, a sea of ribbons, a color-popping ball pit and more. Manipulating light and color with the help of technology, each room aims to captivate your senses.
While expanding existing rooms and building new collaborations, the Wonder Wonder team also hopes to implement new programming to create a more multi-dimensional experience. “Our goal is to build upon the immersive aspect of your experience in the space,” DeWitt said. “We want the art to feel accessible and experiential. We are also developing a number of events in the space; art classes, spoken word poetry evenings, live music, photography contests, yoga classes, writing workshops and on!”
If you’re looking to update your Instagram profile, be sure to check this place out. You can find more information about the Wonder Wonder experience here.
All photography by MJ Kampe.